Sarah Rockwell
Reflection #1
Westerly High School
10/30/11
I began my first day at Westerly High School on a brisk September morning. After introducing myself to Mr. O (the cooperating teacher) I took a seat at a near by table and began my observation. As students began shuffleing into the room one-by-one, Mr. O took up a fixed position near the doorway where he greeted the students that entered. Once the students were in the classroom, morning announcements ensued. After five minutes, the announcements ended and Mr. O began reviewing what will transpire throughout the class period for that day. He then asked the students to take out the assignments that they were previously working on, and continue working on them until he finished taking attendance.
After attendance was taken, Mr. O collected the assignments and began reviewing last class's lesson with help from the students. He used this opportunity to then segway into the current day's lesson. During this time Mr. O used the Smart Board in his classroom to display his notes to the students and demonstrate multimedia resources that he collected on the subject.
Mr.O's approach at the begining of the day was definately one that I myself would take in my own classroom. I feel that it is very important to greet the students at the door as they enter the room. This gives them a sense of welcome and this can also serve as an extinguisher to any conversations that are carrying in from the hall. I also agree to Mr. O's approach of having the students work on a task while he takes attendance. Taking attendance is necessary in a classroom but can be difficult to accomplish. If students are free to do whatever they chose during this time, it may be challenging for the teacher to regain control later on. Mr. O's approach to this situation kept students on task while still providing him with the necessary time needed to take attandance.
It is also important to keep students engaged in a classeoom. The use of technology during a lesson can be a quick and easy was to attract attention from students. Mr. O did a wonderful job of this with the Smart Board, however not all schools are equipt with these. In my own classroom I would use a projector, Smart Board, or other technological tool from time to time to demonstrate multimedia resouces to my students to keep them engaged and up-to-date.
Reflection #1
Westerly High School
10/30/11
I began my first day at Westerly High School on a brisk September morning. After introducing myself to Mr. O (the cooperating teacher) I took a seat at a near by table and began my observation. As students began shuffleing into the room one-by-one, Mr. O took up a fixed position near the doorway where he greeted the students that entered. Once the students were in the classroom, morning announcements ensued. After five minutes, the announcements ended and Mr. O began reviewing what will transpire throughout the class period for that day. He then asked the students to take out the assignments that they were previously working on, and continue working on them until he finished taking attendance.
After attendance was taken, Mr. O collected the assignments and began reviewing last class's lesson with help from the students. He used this opportunity to then segway into the current day's lesson. During this time Mr. O used the Smart Board in his classroom to display his notes to the students and demonstrate multimedia resources that he collected on the subject.
Mr.O's approach at the begining of the day was definately one that I myself would take in my own classroom. I feel that it is very important to greet the students at the door as they enter the room. This gives them a sense of welcome and this can also serve as an extinguisher to any conversations that are carrying in from the hall. I also agree to Mr. O's approach of having the students work on a task while he takes attendance. Taking attendance is necessary in a classroom but can be difficult to accomplish. If students are free to do whatever they chose during this time, it may be challenging for the teacher to regain control later on. Mr. O's approach to this situation kept students on task while still providing him with the necessary time needed to take attandance.
It is also important to keep students engaged in a classeoom. The use of technology during a lesson can be a quick and easy was to attract attention from students. Mr. O did a wonderful job of this with the Smart Board, however not all schools are equipt with these. In my own classroom I would use a projector, Smart Board, or other technological tool from time to time to demonstrate multimedia resouces to my students to keep them engaged and up-to-date.